“For most of American history, gerrymandering was a behind-the-scenes affair, taking place in the quintessential ‘smoke-filled rooms‘ where political heavyweights carved up the country to best suit their own fortunes. Voters remained largely in the dark,” the New York Times reports.

“That has changed in a remarkable way over the past year.”

“The bare-knuckle fight over redistricting between Democrats and Republicans, started last year by President Trump and the G.O.P. in Texas, has made gerrymandering a top national story that is set to play an important role in the midterm elections.”

“And in two states — California last year and Virginia tomorrow — voters have been given a rare opportunity to decide their own gerrymandered fate.”

New York Times: “Virginia voters could be forgiven for wondering where Barack Obama stands on gerrymandering.”

“The former president is appearing in videos and ads pushing Virginians to vote ‘Yes’ on a Democratic-backed referendum next week on whether to redraw the state’s House map to give the party more seats. But the Republican-backed ‘No’ side is running TV ads that highlight his past opposition to partisan gerrymandering.”

“The dueling Obama ads have confused voters, according to the referendum’s Democratic supporters, who have grown increasingly anxious about the vote in the final days before Election Day on Tuesday.”

A new State Navigate survey finds Virginia Democrats’ early gerrymandering ballot measure narrowly ahead by 5 percentage points.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) “is considering delaying the state’s April 20 special session for redistricting,” Punchbowl News reports.

“Florida state lawmakers are scheduled to head to Tallahassee next week to pass a new congressional map for the Sunshine State. DeSantis is expected to redraw the Florida congressional map to add between two and five new red seats, a huge plus for Republicans in the national redistricting battle.”

“Now, DeSantis is mulling whether to push the special session back until after the results of the April 21 redistricting referendum in Virginia.”

“Early voting data from Virginia suggests Democrats have an advantage in their push to enact a gerrymander that could net them as many as four U.S. House seats in this fall’s midterms,” CNN reports.

Russell Berman: “Democrats in Virginia desperately want permission from voters to gerrymander the state beyond recognition. They also want Virginians to know how profoundly sorry they are to have to ask.”

Said State Senator Creigh Deeds (D): “I believe that people should choose their representatives. Representatives shouldn’t choose their people.”

“This is typically the main argument against gerrymandering, but for Deeds, it was just the windup to a pitch for his party to cast aside its highfalutin principles and start hurling spitballs back at Republicans.”

Deeds lamented: “We’ve been pushed into a situation not of our own choosing.”

Indiana Gov. Mike Braun is making good on his promise to support Trump’s efforts to “recruit, endorse, and finance primary challengers for Indiana’s senators who refuse to support fair maps,” Politico reports.

Braun plans to endorse challengers to sitting state senators who opposed redistricting.

“A slim majority of Virginia voters favors a redistricting measure to give Democrats as many as four extra seats in Congress this November, with 52 percent of likely voters saying they support redrawing state political maps and 47 percent opposed,” according to a Washington Post-Schar School poll.

“But the poll offers warning signs that the outcome could go either way as early voting proceeds ahead of the April 21 referendum. Republicans and opponents of the measure are more enthusiastic about casting ballots than Democrats and supporters.”

Punchbowl News: “In 20 days, Virginia voters will decide if their legislature is allowed to gerrymander the state’s congressional map to turn 10 of the 11 House seats blue for the midterms.”

“Yet despite a high-profile push that includes former President Barack Obama, Democrats are growing increasingly skittish about the referendum.”

“A nonprofit allied with House Democratic leadership upped its investment to $20 million this week. Private polling indicates a tight race within or not too far outside the margin of error.”

“The Republican-led effort to put Utah’s redistricting law back on the ballot fell below the required threshold in one state Senate district on Wednesday after a signature removal campaign by supporters of Proposition 4,” the Deseret News reports.

“This means that the repeal of Prop 4 will not appear on the ballot despite $4.35 million spent on professional signature gathering, involvement from Turning Point Action and an endorsement from President Donald Trump and his son, Donald Trump Jr.”

Politico: “Florida has been viewed for months as the potential capstone of a GOP redistricting campaign, but now Sunshine State Republicans are growing wary after the dramatic flip of two legislative seats in the state — including one where President Donald Trump votes.”

“Republicans already hold a commanding 20-8 edge over Democrats in the Florida House delegation, and some in the GOP — including Gov. Ron DeSantis — believe they could pick up as many as five more seats with a rare mid-decade redraw of district lines.”

“Some Florida incumbents are now warning in stark terms it could backfire.”

New York Times: “The battle over congressional maps in Virginia, the latest in the nationwide clash over mid-decade redistricting in the lead-up to this year’s midterm elections, is intensifying with a statewide referendum only weeks away.”

“Tens of millions of dollars have poured into the state to fund campaigns for and against the referendum, which takes place on April 21 and will decide whether Democrats can redraw the state’s map to flip as many as four U.S. House seats currently held by Republicans. The vast majority of the money has flowed in on the Democratic side.”

NBC News: “After putting an aggressive redraw of the state’s congressional map before voters, some Virginia Democrats are growing uneasy about its prospects for passage one month out from the special election…”

“Some supporters of the Virginia referendum acknowledge the challenge of convincing voters to back a gerrymandered map when Democrats, who several years ago backed the formation of the state’s bipartisan redistricting commission, have criticized Republicans for similar moves.”

“Virginia voters are also not accustomed to going to the polls in April, when Democrats scheduled the special election, making turnout particularly unpredictable.”

Washington Post: “Trump started a national battle over maps and power last summer when he pushed Texas and other Republican-run states to redraw their congressional districts, a rare step outside the usual 10-year-cycle, in hopes that his party could retain its narrow control over the House. Democrats have lodged a surprising counterpunch, led by California.”

“Virginia, one of the most moderate blue-run states, has become a key to Democrats’ hopes of keeping up with Republicans but by no means is it an automatic win. As early voting for the April 21 referendum allowing them to redraw their maps began on March 6, they had a clear edge in momentum. But in an offseason election where low turnout is likely, the results are difficult to predict.”

“Democrats are on the verge of neutralizing President Donald Trump’s push to redraw the nation’s congressional maps to help his party keep power in the November midterm elections,” the Washington Post reports.

“Republicans around the country have long been looking to Florida — which has been biding its time and is gearing up to act this spring — to help the party pull ahead.”

“But some Republicans in the state are tamping down expectations that they can deliver the kind of bonanza that would give the party significant breathing room.”

“As Democrats wage an aggressive public campaign to convince Virginia voters to redraw the state’s congressional maps ahead of November, some Republicans complain the state’s most prominent GOP figure is missing from their counterattacks: former Gov. Glenn Youngkin,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“A group of House Republicans approached Youngkin in November, shortly before he left office, and implored him to help campaign against the voter referendum, they say. They want to see Youngkin, a former co-chief executive officer of the Carlyle Group, help with fundraising, ad messaging and other efforts to drive their voters to turn out. But so far, Youngkin hasn’t engaged in raising money or appeared in ads to drive opposition to the Democratic plan.”

“Former President Barack Obama is jumping into the Virginia redistricting race, lending his support for the constitutional amendment going before voters that could net Democrats up to four seats in the coming midterm elections,” Politico reports.

Said Obama, in a video: “We can’t afford two more years of unchecked power and zero accountability in Washington.”